The horrific last moments of Hannah Cornelius have been revealed at the Western Cape High Court, by state pathologist Diedre Abrahams.

Four men accused of the rape and murder of Stellenbosch student Hannah Cornelius are in court this week after the 22-year-old was brutality killed in May 2017.

Vernon Witbooi‚ Geraldo Parsons‚ Eben van Niekerk and Nashville Julius were in the dock on Tuesday when forensic pathologist Deidre Abrahams had the harrowing task of relaying Cornelius’ injuries to the public. We’ll warn you to know, these details are not for sensitive readers.

Injuries sustained by Hannah Cornelius

As EWN report, the 21-year-old suffered severe blunt head injuries that were “rapidly fatal”. Abrahams also described how she was stabbed in the neck, but denied Cornelius had been strangled.

The pathologist confirmed that the student died after a large rock – described by a borehole technician-turned-witness as being “too heavy” to lift by himself – was dropped onto her head twice. Abrahams said the victim was hit so hard on the head that it broke her skull and tore her brain.

Further forensic analysis showed that Hannah Cornelius suffered severe inflictions to her intimate areas. The presiding judge in this case, Rosheni Allie, was keen to stress that privacy must be respected on this particular issue.

The DNA evidence found at the scene of the crime is also damning for the defendants. A local police sniffer dog detected a used condom near the infamous spot where Hannah’s life was ended. It contained the thumbprint of Geraldo Parsons.

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